Many seaports throughout the world, and particularly in undeveloped countries, have inadequate harbors to enable oceangoing vessels to dock and unload or load cargo. When landside pier is unavailable, large vessels must remain in deep water while loading and unloading cargo to or from barges or smaller vessels. In some instances, large vessels may be required to remain anchored in deep water for days or weeks depending upon the availability of loading and unloading labor crews and port and dockside facilities which are not only very costly and time consuming, but the cargo may become contaminated during long waiting periods. The high cost of non-use of a large vessel increases the cost of transportation of the cargo as well.
Furthermore, dredging a harbor to accomodate oceangoing vessels is extremely costly and time consuming. The necessity for the use of dredging equipment and skilled crews for this skilled work is not available in most undeveloped countries. The installation of adequate docks for handling incoming and outgoing cargo requires very substantial capital expenditures, costly installation equipment and extended periods of time for installation.
In some countries, the typography does not permit installation of permanent docks or dredging to permit large ocean-going vessles to be moored closer to the loading or unloading areas.
Therefore, the present invention is directed to a floating dock system for handling cargo which may be constructed or fabricated at various manufacturing plants remote from the location of installation, assembled at the location of installation and utilized to handle cargo from a moored vessel expeditiously with minimum labor utilization once installation is completed.
A further objective of this invention is the provision of a floating dock for handling cargo from a moored vessel in which the cargo may be loaded or unloaded from a series of traveling conveyors while directing the cargo along specific paths of travel to avoid commingling.
Still another objective of this invention is the provision of a floating dock for handling cargo including containerized units which may be lifted from or to a vessel by means of a transportable gantry or crane whether mounted aboard the vessel or the floating dock or other floating derricks with means on the floating dock for handling a containerized unit in its travel to or from the vessel.
This invention further contemplates a floating dock for handling cargo which may be installed with suitable mooring to accommodate a number of vessels for loading and unloading as well as one which may be positioned at one end along a fixed unloading area on land with the floating dock projecting an appropriate distance into the water or an auxiliary unloading or loading that may be offshore depending upon the typography in which smaller vessels may receive the cargo for loading or unloading from a series of conveyors on the floating dock.
Still another objective invention is the provision of a floating dock for handling cargo in which a series of conveyors is supported at spaced intervals and extends longitudinally above the water and communicates with at least one transversely extending conveyor means for transporting cargo along the transversely extending conveyor to or from the longitudinally extending conveyor.
Other objectives and advantages of the floating dock cargo handling system of this invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the material handling art for handling cargo to and from vessels when considered in conjunction with the accompanying detailed description, claims and drawings of two embodiments which are disclosed without any limitation, and modifications are contemplated depending upon the specific installation taking into account the local typography and other requirements.